Innovative digital twin technology huge opportunity for Utrecht region
Digital twins can be called a hype. From municipalities to the business world: nowadays everyone wants a beautiful virtual representation – a digital twin, in other words – of their product or environment. The Utrecht region is leading the way in this field. Because of the innovative organizations, but also because of the specialized Digital Twins Lab at the Hogeschool Utrecht.
Digital Twins are popular. All over the country, companies and initiatives are popping up that deal with this new technology, but Utrecht is leading the way nationally. So says Ruud Meijvogel, business developer Earth Valley at ROM Utrecht Region. He sees many opportunities for Utrecht in the field of digital twins.
,,As the Utrecht region, we have some good starting points here that make us the ecosystem for makers of a sustainable living environment. We have a lot of knowledge about this theme concentrated in the Science Park: with the Digital Twins Lab of the Hogeschool of course, but also with TNO and Deltares. Nor is it a coincidence that three of the Netherlands’ largest engineering firms are in our area.”
All this knowledge together means that much is happening in the digital twin field. A technology that can help accelerate sustainability issues such as energy transition. Ruud: ,,Currently, concrete actions often fail because the parties involved have no overview.With a digital twin you do have that overview. In this way, we use technology to ensure that society ultimately becomes healthier.”
Digital copy of district, city or region
So digital twins are hot and happening. But what exactly is such a twin? Basically, a digital twin is a digital copy of a physical object. This can be anything from a digital twin of the human body to a twin of a neighborhood, city or region.
But a twin is more than just a copy: it can help predict future behavior and use of neighborhoods and cities. For example, a digital twin is a concrete tool for simulating sustainable scenarios for the future. For example, a digital twin of the city of Utrecht already exists.
That twin was created by the Digital Twins Lab of Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. A unique place, set up by the college together with the province of Utrecht. What makes it so unique?That’s what HU head professor Koen Smit can tell you well.Koen leads the research line digital innovation for public organizations and the Digital Twins Lab is part of that.
,,With the Lab we have a unique proposition by focusing on the responsible deployment of digital twins. No other place in the Netherlands does that and on that specifically we are now being found by other organizations.” Smit explains that his Lab receives many requests from parties who want such a digital twin. There is a feeling: you have to participate now, otherwise you will miss the boat.
Accelerating sustainability tasks
The world is facing a number of major, complex challenges: climate adaptation, energy transition, and maintaining a healthy living environment for people and animals. With digital technologies like digital twin technology, you can get a grip on these challenges, explains Ruud of ROM Utrecht. You can literally stand around such a digital twin with all parties involved and make it concrete: who is going to do what?Instead of talking about it all from separate islands, the shovel needs to be put in the ground more often in the region.
And digital twinnig is an enormous opportunity for that.”
HU researcher Koen concurs. ,,Everyone who does anything with the design of the living environment in a broad sense will have to deal with this. With digital twinning you can innovate, achieve goals or even accelerate. And it is going very fast now. In Utrecht as a region we have the knowledge and implementing organizations, and in the Netherlands in general many complete datasets. In combining all that knowledge, I see an independent and guiding role for the Digital Twin Lab. In this way we have already achieved some great things, and hopefully more in the future.”
